The Sparrow Calls CAR
by melody0606
Summary: The world is once again brought to its knees, and this time it'll take every last one of them to stop their newest threat. Funny thing is, they all knew everyone had a story, but Robin's just so happened to be the darkest one of all. Rated M Later!
1. Chapter 1: Always

**A/N: I don't own the Teen Titans! I hope everyone enjoys the fic! This is going to be a huge project I'm going to be tackling for the next couple of months, and I'm going to need all the help I can get! Please leave me a few reviews, and let me know what you think! I want to get to know all of the great and sweet readers on. I'm very excited. So excited that I rushed to finish this chapter without giving it much thought. Anyways, talk to you guys next chapter! See ya soon! :D**

**PS The rating of this story will later on become rated M for lemon scenes, but until then, it will simply be rated K for language. :p**

**PSS Anyone interested in beta-ing? And perhaps being my new fanfic writing BBFL?  
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><p><em>The Sparrow Calls<em>

Chapter 1:_ Always_

"Titans, GO!" Robin exclaimed.

The group of superheroes sped into action, each of them vibrating with pent up energy.

Cyborg started lifting his rod of iron weights, pumping his muscles. Next to him his large monitor recorded the amount of weight he was lifting, his stamina levels, as well as the stress he was applying to his heart.

Starfire took flight, eyes turning green, and hands forming her signature starbolts. She aimed the green pieces at the targets arranged in front of her, pieces of wood flying off the targets from the force of her attacks.

Raven used her dark energy to pick up various heavy objects, switching from one to another, and building up as must weight as she could.

Beast Boy started his stopwatch and began to shift into several different animals, speeding up his pace between each switch.

And at last there was Robin, who like Starfire, was aiming his own weapons and utilities at the targets popping up before him.

Training was perhaps one of the most important aspects of the Teen Titans' agenda. It was a time where they could not only discipline their personal abilities, but manage them, control them, and exceed their limitations.

It was only then that they could grew stronger-strong enough to take down even the wickedest of opponents.

The Titans trained hard and long, the training room filled with their grunts and the occasional sounds of groaning metal.

It got to the point where Raven was forced to grind her teeth to hold back her cries, her body bending under the weight of the three cars she was keeping afloat. The weight had become too much for her body and magic.

It was too heavy.

With great effort Raven gave her magic a push, urging the cars away from herself, and back to their respective places. It was a gentle push, not any different from the past few times she had unloaded herself of such weights.

But this time it was different.

The moment Raven started to release the cars, a sudden explosion of emotional terror and fear consumed her, causing her magic to leap out of control.

Two of the three cars being held in her field of dark energy, exploded midair. The debris escaped her energy field, shooting out in all directions.

One of the pieces launched itself at an airborne Starfire, it's dull edge slamming into the girl's back. "Ack!" Starfire shrieked, arching her back away from the source of her pain.

The attack caused her happy emotions to lapse, and with her happiness, went her flight.

She started to fall.

"Starfire!" Robin yelled when he heard her scream. He looked over his shoulder, panic gnawing at him when he saw her droop. He immediately changed course from the wooden targets, to catching the falling princess.

He performed a skilled tumble halfway through his run, catching Starfire as he pulled out of his crouched form. It was almost too perfect of a catch.

As the Boy Wonder rescued the Tamaran, another disk of debris flew past Robin's fingers and sliced Cyborg's arm. Cyborg howled and dropped his weights. The rod fell against Cyborg's stomach, and a rush of air left him. "Ooof!" He gasped.

And of course once the domino effect had started, there was no stopping until the last remaining member of the team also fell.

Thus it came as no surprise when the disk of debris continued to fly past several obstacles to mere inches from Beast Boy's elephant leg's form. The metal lightly grazed the green skin as it finally pivoted to a stop into a pillar.

Beast Boy yelped and switched back to his human form, clutching his leg in pain. "My leg! Dude, my leg!"

Raven moaned, staggering and clutching her head throughout the entire events. He eyes grew red as she tried to control the burst of emotions that had unsettled her. Her muscles slowly became less tense when the emotions had been contained, before she looked up and stared at the damage she had caused. Her heart thumped madly in her chest. _Shit._

There were a couple of grunts and moans as the team resettled themselves, brushing themselves off as they stood.

"Is everyone ok?" Robin asked, pulling up Starfire with a free hand.

They all voiced their presence in the form of pained grunts, except for Raven, who was still too stunned to say much of anything.

"Uh guys, what just happened?" Beast Boy asked as his pain finally subsided.

Robin turned to Raven. "Raven, everything ok?" He asked confused.

_'Thank Azar.' _Raven thought, her heart returning to its normal state. He hadn't seen.

"What happened?" Robin continued to ask, when Raven still did not reply.

"It-it was a momentary slip up." Raven said, her brain rapidly coming up with a lie. "Won't happen again." She continued in a monotone voice.

Robin gave her a dubious. "Okay..." He said, slowly nodding his head, and trying to wrap his head around Raven's words.

"Robin," Starfire started. "Perhaps it would be best for us to take a small break as they say?" She suggested kindly, wincing when she raised her hand and a sharp line of pain came from her back.

Robin looked at his teammates who all nodded their consent before he released them for lunch and a little leisure. They had earned themselves a free day. They cheered.

After tidying up the training room, the Titans went their separate ways. Starfire and Robin decided to start lunch, Cyborg thought of completing some repairs on his baby AKA the T-Car, and Raven decided to return to her room for a little meditation.

The only one left was Beast Boy, who was still trying to comprehend the events that he had just witnessed.

It irked him, even more than the other Titans, to have seen Raven spin out of control.

Despite what the others thought, Beast Boy had a soft spot for the quiet empath, and was always doing his best to try to look out for her. It could even be said that he was fascinated by the girl. Fascinated enough to watch her during her training sessions as she exercised her dark energy. Which led him to the puzzle of the day-Raven had messed up-messed up because of her emotions. Or so it appeared. He had been watching her closely throughout that day's training session, mainly because she had been attempting to exceed her weight limitation. He had seen the look of pain that broke her wall of concentration. And that's what scared him. He had never once before such an emotion on Raven's face-not since Trigon. But he was dead. He had watched the Titans defeat him.

But still, it wasn't like her. Even when she was injured during battle, Raven still held strong. So what made this time any different?

Beast Boy knew she had been meditating, he watched her do that practically three if not more times a day. She had been eating consistent meals, her emotions were perfectly in check, with the exception of today's outburst, and there didn't seem to be any other factors that could have caused her magic to act so wonky...unless she was severely injured.

Beast Boy's heart clenched as he realized he might just be onto something. Raven could be badly injured. She could be hiding it from them, something that wasn't too unlike her character.

Beast Boy frowned, biting his lower lip in deep thought before he came to a final decision. He needed to check up on Raven. If she was in fact ill then she needed medical attention fast, and if she wasn't, then he could stick around and try to help her figure out what had caused the magical interference. Because that was what a good friend would do-right?

Without further ado, Beast Boy followed the hallway to Raven's room, catching her just as she was about to code in her room key.

"Wait, hold up, Rae!" He said.

Raven sighed, lowering her fingers from the lock, and turning to glare at the changeling. "What is it Beast Boy?"

Beast Boy stopped in front of her, sucked in a large breath of air (probably his last), gathered as much confidence as he could, grabbed Raven by her arms, and proceeded to give her the quickest and thoroughest inspection of his life. All caution was thrown to the wind.

"Fever?" He asked, pressing the palm of his hand against her forehead. "No, too cool." He mumbled quickly, a frown on his face.

He grabbed one of Raven's gray arms. "Injuries?" He shifted into a large dog, running his tongue over the expanse of skin, and giving it a sniff. He shifted back. "No, don't smell any blood." He grumbled.

He shifted again, this time into a monkey, and pressed his large ear against Raven's stomach, holding her hips to steady the young girl. He shifted back with a thoughtful look on his face. "Stomach ache?" He asked, this time directing his question to Raven herself.

Raven's cheeks became a deep red, embarrassed when she realized that Beast Boy was _touching _her, before flaming up with anger once she realized she was actually _allowing_ him to touch her.

"What," She hissed through clench teeth. "Do you think you're _doing_?"

Raven used her magic to form a black energy band, wrapping it tightly around Beast Boy's torso and upper arms.

Beast Boy yelped as he was pulled away from the empath and shoved up against the wall behind himself.

"Dude, Rae! What-"

"What are you _thinking_?" She snapped, eyes clouded with anger.

Raven didn't care about the fact Beast Boy was her teammate. At this point she didn't care if he was even related, because if there was one thing Raven couldn't stand, it was people touching her.

That's where she drew the line, time and time again, regardless if that person was Robin, their leader, or even her mother. The only person who had even come close to touching her was Starfire, only on the basis she was female, not from Earth, and one of her only friends.

Beast Boy gave an audible gulp when he saw the murderous intent in Raven's eyes.

"N-n-nothing." He stuttered.

"Nothing? Then what the hell was all that?" She demanded, pointing an accusing finger to his chest.

Beast Boy narrowed his eyes, his confidence returning at the edge in Raven's voice, and gave her his own glare. She had no right to yell at him-no right.

"What was I doing? I was looking out for my teammate!" He snapped.

Raven started, staring at him with an astonished look. "Explain." She ordered.

And just like that, all of Beast Boy's confidence vanished.

"W-well," He began, his own blush creeping up his neck. "During training, w-when you messed up,"

Raven scowled.

"I thought maybe you might be sick, ya know?" He explained. "Cause, you don't make 'slip ups' Rae, even I'm not dumb enough to believe that." He stressed the words 'slip ups,' and gave her a pointed look. "And all the other times I've watched you-"

"You _watch_ me?" Raven interrupted, openly gawking at the green boy.

Beast Boy's blush grew darker. "No! Not like that! I'm not a creeper or-"

Raven held up her hand, pinching the bridge of her nose with the other.

"Stop," She ordered. "Just continue with the previous explanation."

"Uh," Beast Boy gulped. "Right. So like I was saying, based on all the other times I uh, noticed you doing your magic, unless you're sick or something's bothering you, your magic is usually right on target, Rae. And seeing as how you took out the entire team today, there _is _something wrong with you- something you're not telling us."

Raven stared at Beast Boy, her mind processing his words, and trying to understand his logic. Either way Raven found it to make little sense, and her cheeks were without a doubt going to become a permanent shade of red.

"You are the stupidest person I know." Raven said exasperated. None of what he said made any sense.

Beast Boy scowled. "At least I'm not the one hiding things from my friends! What do you expect me to think if you don't tell me anything, Rae? How can you expect any of us to watch you hide things behind our backs and pretend like everything's ok? I thought we were your friends!"

Raven's eyes glowed red at Beast Boy's implied accusation. "Look," She snapped. "Even though I'm a demon, I'm still half human. I can make mistakes. I'm not perfect!"

Despite Raven's firm handle of her emotions, Beast Boy was able to see past her mask, and decipher her true feelings. And from what experience he had in solving the emotional puzzle that was Raven, every word she spoke dripped with pain and anger-pain and anger directed at him.

Silence followed her words.

Beast Boy stared at Raven, unsure of what to say. Raven wasn't one for consolation. She was too proud to show anyone her emotions-not even to the Team.

'_Say something Beast Boy!' _He mentally screamed.

But there wasn't anything left to say-there wasn't anything he _could_ say.

They stayed liked that a few moments longer until Raven's eyes finally cleared up, her energy loosening itself from his body, and dropping him unceremoniously to the floor. Beast Boy let out a yelp and rubbed his sore bottom.

Raven chose to bow her head, and draw up the hood of her cowl. She didn't wait for Beast Boy to say anything. She simply turned and punched in the password to her room.

"Rae, I…" Beast Boy trailed off.

"I've always considered you my friend-always." Raven said at last, giving him one last sparing look before disappearing into her room.

Beast Boy clenched his fist.

"I've always considered you my friend too, Raven. _Always._" He whispered.

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><p><strong>AN: Please leave reviews! And yeah, everyone is a little OOC, but I plan on working on that throughout the next few chapters. :)**


	2. Chapter 2: Baby, Goodnight

**A/N: I don't own the Teen Titans! **

**I hope everyone will enjoy this chapter as much as the last one! Please review! And please don't hesitate to leave me any critiques! **

**Also, a huge thanks to my latest betas who have joined on board my crazy writing adventure, _Empress Caroline _and_ Sweetnevermore_. **

**In addition, a quick little word of warning: the only reason I went ahead and posted this chapter, is because several readers asked me to post up a longer chapter so they could dive into the story a bit more and get familiar with it so to speak, and try to see if they like it and stuff. And there are those who have already lost all sense of sanity and are going ballistic over an update XD LOL :p Hence I went ahead and uploaded this, practically as is, but there WILL be changes/updates made to this and previous chapters. However, these changes will only be changes to GRAMMAR and the like. Nothing more, nothing less. ^^**

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><p><strong>Special Thanks: <strong>

**_anonymous reader 1 (beastra fan) :_ Thank you so much for your sweet review! I'm pleased to hear that I've engaged you a bit into liking raybeast! I'm actually a huge fan of Raven and Beast Boy. I don't even understand where this obsession comes from O.O**

**_beachgirl902 :_ I'm pleased to hear you liked the pairings ;) Any particular favorites? keke And thanks for letting me know! I'm a little worried the characters are OOC. I guess only time will tell, right? ;) Thanks for the review! **

**_ikcjjt :_ Thanks so much for your comment! I'm very relieved to hear that my writing hasn't taken too big of a turn for the worst T.T Thanks for the review :D **

**_Lynthrocropia :_ Haha! Thanks, I needed that. I guess sometimes I forget the real meaning of fanfiction? Kawaii! Your comment is so cute! :D **

**_The Cretin :_ First off let me just say, thanks for the very kind and honest review and critique. I'm very happy that you took your time to critique it and let me know what you thought. I do agree that it is a bit rushed and the pacing is off. I think I was so excited about getting started and posting my first chapter, that I got a little ahead of myself T.T As far as the details go, I agree again. I think I've been away from writing too long, and have gotten very rusty during that period of absence. I'm usually extremely detailed, but I noticed back then when I got people to read my stories, they didn't like the detail very much at all...but that was before, and this is now. ^^ Thank you so much! Please continue to read and review! 3**

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><p><em>The Sparrow Calls<em>

Chapter 2: Baby, Goodnight

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><p>"Friend Robin, is there something that upsets you?" Starfire asked, eyes scanning over his figure. The way Robin held himself spoke volumes; from the way his shoulders slouched, to the creased eyebrows adorning his forehead.<p>

Robin looked up at her in surprise. "No, of course not Star." He gave her a flabbergasted look. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

Starfire giggled. "Perhaps I might be mistaken, but is it not the chicken which must be doing the "marinating," not the bowl itself?"

Robin blinked at the pretty Tamaranian before looking down at his hands, his fingers robotically slathering a red paste of marinate on a silver steel bowl, rather than the chicken sitting innocently not too far from Robin's reach.

Robin blushed, as Starfire launched into a fit of innocent giggles.

"Yeah, right," He mumbled, gathering the chicken from its pedestal, and proceeding to bathe it in a thick coat of red.

"You seem distracted today, Robin," Starfire said after her giggles had subsided.

"That transparent am I?" Robin asked, looking up at Starfire.

Starfire furrowed her eyebrows. "I am afraid I am not familiar with this phrase…you seem rather solid to me, Robin," She said. She poked Robin's arm deliberately to confirm her suspicions.

Robin laughed.

"It means that I'm very readable, Star. That people can take one glance my way and tell how I'm feeling."

"You must be mistaken Robin, for I find it very difficult to read your emotions. Almost as difficult as Raven's," Starfire refuted quietly.

Robin was left speechless. He had always been told all of his life by his mentor that his face was a dead giveaway of his emotions, something that could be very detrimental in the middle of a fight for a hero such as himself. Hearing someone else say otherwise well, he wasn't quite sure what to say.

Silence flooded the room, and Starfire's face heated up in embarrassment when she realized what she had said.

"Please ignore my words. I am most sorry for causing you any discomfort," Starfire said hurriedly.

'_Please, don't be angry.'_ Starfire mentally begged.

Robin gave her a smile, remorse settling into the pit of his stomach.

'_You want to get to know me better, Star. I know it, but I can't let you get closer. Not any closer than this.' _

"No, it's ok. I understand," Robin comforted her. "I was just thinking some things over is all," He further explained.

Starfire nodded her head, giving him a soft understanding smile. Robin blushed and ducked his head.

Starfire frowned.

Was she missing something? Was she misreading the signs? She didn't understand. Not one bit.

Perhaps it was the difference in culture, or maybe the idea had been planted too deeply in her head, but it seemed as if every step she made in effort to get closer to Robin, Robin pushed her three steps back.

And she couldn't wrap her mind around, why? Why did he keep pushing her away? Did he not like her?

Her heart ached painfully in her chest. She couldn't imagine having wasted away her years on the Titans to have been pinning after the team leader like a lovesick puppy. The whole reason Starfire had joined the Titans was to grow closer to Robin, and the amount of vulnerability she had shown Robin alone would no doubt be the cause of years of humiliation on her home planet.

Unable to take the silence much longer, Starfire decided to break the still air.

"Is it safe to presume that it is Raven who has caused your thoughts to become astray."

Robin grinned at Starfire's choice of words before mellowing out. She had hit the nail on the head, and the seriousness of the situation was once again settling in.

"Yeah. I guess you could say I didn't see it coming?"

"And why is that?"

Robin sighed.

"Since Trigon's fall Raven has always been able to control her powers without a problem, but now…I'm not too sure." He said quietly.

Starfire stilled.

"Robin, I am sure that this is a shock for Raven as well. But Raven said so herself-it really was just a mistake." Starfire said.

"It doesn't stop me from worrying." He said. "I feel like Raven's hiding something-pushing us back."

'_Like you.' _Starfire thought.

"You are worrying too much," Starfire said wisely. "For Raven loves us all dearly. If there is something indeed that Raven is hiding, she will tell us when she is ready."

"I hope so." Robin mumbled.

The silence returned, but this time neither had the heart to break it. The conversation had grown too delicate, something that clearly would not end without one of them becoming angry or upset. So instead, they continued to work in comfortable silence.

After Robin wiped the excess sauce from his hands, he grabbed a tray full of flour and began to coat the chicken with another layer of ingredients. He hesitated amidst his coating and risked a glance in Starfire's general direction.

She appeared to be in deep thought, peeling the skin off a pile of freshly washed potatoes, which would later be served as a side dish alongside the chicken.

It was all too perfect.

Robin grinned, grabbing a pinch of flour from the tray, and aimed it at Starfire's cheek.

He smirked as a white smudge appeared on Starfire's orange skin, his smirk slowly morphing into a nervous look as Starfire paused and looked up from her work with narrowed eyes.

Robin gulped, backing away slowly.

"Oh Robin," Starfire sang, setting down her work and closing in on the boy. She held one hand behind her back, holding something nondescript. "You forgot something." She said.

"O-oh?" Robin said, back hitting the granite countertops.

Starfire smirked, bringing forth a handful of brown potato peelings, and threw them on his person.

Pieces flew from her outstretched hand to cling to Robin's uniform, some falling lifelessly to the ground, and several others adorning his body.

Robin's jaw dropped, his hand reaching up to lift a sliver of potato skin caught in his hair. His look of astonishment turned into a happy grin, and let out a low cheery laugh, looking up at Starfire.

"Oh, you are so on." He said, grabbing the bowl of flour behind himself, and scooping a handful of the powder.

Starfire squealed.

'_A little closer never hurt. Could it?' _

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><p>The kitchen was a mess, decorated in all sorts of condiments, syrups, peels, liquids, and other kitchen ingredients. Several of the appliances were covered in thick layers of muck, dulling their once shining and gleaming exteriors.<p>

After Robin had so very kindly attacked Starfire with a face full of flour, Starfire had raided the refrigerator, pulling out every kitchen substance known to man, including Beast Boy's precious tofu meals as well as Starfire's own cooking, and proceeded to attack Robin with each item.

Seeing as how the fridge was occupied, Robin made a beeline for the pantry, and he pulled out bag after bag of rice, sugar, and whatever else Cyborg had deemed necessary to be stocked into the no longer safe havens of the Titans' kitchen pantry.

All and all the kitchen looked a mess, and in the middle of all the chaos were Starfire and Robin, laughing away at the entire scene without a care in the world.

Robin had a bunch of liquid and syrup stains marring his usually spotless uniform, and Starfire's hair twinkled under the kitchen lights as the beams hit the sugar crystals in her hair. Like Robin, her uniform too was covered in an assortment of ingredients. So many in fact, that it was difficult to identify each and every one of them.

A distant '_ding_' from the stove interrupted the laughing Titans, and Robin stood to tend to the cooked chicken sitting within the hot confines of the appliance.

He pulled on a pair of clean oven mitts from a drawer, and carried the dish to the counter. Starfire followed her leader.

"It smells like gnarbog*!" Starfire exclaimed, sniffing the dish from over Robin's shoulder, pleased with the outcome of their last minute cooking.

"Uh….sure?" Robin offered, unfamiliar with the term 'gnarbog.'

Starfire's grin broadened, tearing off a piece of meat, and stuffed it in her mouth. She hummed in appreciation.

"Good?" Robin asked.

Starfire nodded her head excitedly, tearing off another a piece, and stuffing it in Robin's mouth.

Robin's eyes widened in surprise, before moaning in delight at the taste of the chicken. He closed his eyes in happiness as the soft, chicken flesh melted in his mouth. Coupled with the feeling of Starfire's lingering fingers, the entire experience was simply out of this world.

Starfire grinned, content with her work, and tried to pull away her fingers from Robin's lips, but Robin's eyes flickered open, and held her in a smoldering gaze. His free hand went up to grasp her wrist, tugging her closer, and keeping her in place.

Robin wasn't quite sure what had come over him at that time, but one thing was for sure, he didn't know Starfire had such beautiful, clear emerald eyes. Better yet, he didn't know that Starfire's lips looked so pink and…kissable.

Robin leaned in, curious to see if he could somehow test that theory, in a deep trance.

Starfire couldn't do anything but stare back, heart thumping wildly in her chest. She knew what was happening, but she didn't want to stop him. This was what she wanted. This was what Starfire had always wanted. So she did what most other girls would have done in that situation, and leaned in as well, her lips mere inches from touching Robin's.

And that was exactly how Cyborg found them.

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><p>"CRASH!"<p>

Raven could feel the unfamiliar throbbing of her temples as she mediated, the kind that was usually reserved for annoying villains, and teammates who didn't know how to keep to themselves.

This wasn't working. She knew it wasn't. That was the fifth vase she had broken so far. All of which was the fault of the green changeling, Beast Boy.

A growl rose from Raven's throat, and Raven decisively chose to pull out from her lotus form and allow herself to be dropped onto her bed. She sighed, closing her eyes, and tried to forget about the green, toothy faced shape shifter.

She willed herself to forget his cruel accusing words, but his face kept flashing beneath her eyelids, breaking the surface of her calm state. And within the emotional safety net that was her heart, she felt a pang of distress - of pain, and she wanted to cry.

Her eyes flew open, anger rising.

She hated him so much. She hated him for making her feel this way.

From the time she had first started on the Titans to now Beast Boy was the only person who could make her feel so guilty and angry at the same time.

She applauded Beast Boy for his sweet concern, and she did have to give him props for being able to sense her apprehension, but his following words of accusation hurt her deeply.

Raven was not the type to show her inner emotions, but she was a sensitive person at heart.

Beast Boy's words stung.

She did consider them friends-all of them. Hadn't she proven her friendship to the team already?

'_Apparently not._' She thought.

And what about his comment about him watching her?

Raven blushed and groaned, throwing a pillow over her face.

This was ridiculous.

Personally, Raven thought she had let herself go far too much. She had thought a few changes in her personality and actions would make a place within the group - a place in their eyes - within their hearts.

She had tried so hard, and she had given up so much.

Maybe she hadn't tried enough?

Raven clenched her teeth, trying to stop the tears wanting to fall.

It hurt. It hurt so much to know, everything she had done - everything she had given up, was for nothing.

Didn't they see her efforts? Or were her efforts just falling on blind eyes?

Raven sighed, pulling away her pillow, and throwing an arm over her eyes.

But there was one thing that was still bothering Raven, other than her insensitive team mate-the unexpected surge of traumatic emotions.

Raven was always able to contain her emotions, well enough to prevent the same flood of emotions she had experienced earlier that day.

Thus she highly doubted they were her own - she could pinpoint that much from the brief appearance.

Her only other option was, that she had unintentionally reached out to sense the emotions of another teammate.

But who?

As far as Raven knew, none of her teammates seemed to have undergone any significant emotional trauma…unless they were hiding it. Secrets were very common between the Titan members. And if that was the case, Raven had little chance of finding the source, since she hardly knew anything about any of them, and none of them knew much about the other.

Unfortunately, as far as Raven's magic went, it had been years since she had dealt with emotional outbursts, and therefore she was out of magical practice as far as targeting what or who had caused the emotional flood.

Raven bit her lip as she dwelled over the possibilities.

There was Starfire, the alien princess who had been won as a prize by a group of very unattractive monsters before she had become a Titan. That within itself had to hurt, being given away by your own country as a mere prize, into the hands of a known sadistic race. But somehow, Raven felt that Starfire had already gotten over that pain. Starfire did afterall wear her heart on her sleeve. And as far as Raven knew, Starfire was too smitten with Robin to be concerned with any traumatic experiences she might have experienced in the past.

Then there was Cyborg, half man and half robot; a man who had trouble calling himself human. Raven stroked him off her mental checklist at once. He was a no - a very big no. Cyborg had a dark past, she knew, but nothing quite as dark as what she had experienced during training. Plus, Starfire wasn't the only one to wear her heart on her sleeve. Cyborg wasn't far behind in that department. The only difference was, Cyborg chose to hide himself from the spotlight, covering up his pain with nonchalant words, whereas Starfire unconsciously became the center of attention, her pain clearly depicted on her face.

Robin-where to even start? He was troubled. He'd always been troubled, but mostly troubled with himself. He wasn't content with himself. Why? Well, none of them were quite sure. He was a great leader, and a kind friend. His strategic mind and skilled hands were always the victim of the Titan's network's jealousy. But Robin was still always out to prove himself to Batman, his old mentor, and the hero he had long ago left. He obsessed over the small things, was a workaholic to the 'W,' and was completely not in tune with his own personal feelings.

Raven hesitated.

Could it be Robin who had distracted her?

He was a troubled boy…but his emotions were completely out of sync. There was no way it could be him. Raven immediately discarded the idea.

There was only one person left, Beast Boy. Beast Boy….Beast Boy was….

Raven hesitated.

Now that she thought about it…did she know anything about Beast Boy's past? Actually, what did _anyone _know about Beast Boy's past?

Raven frowned, racking her head for information.

She came up empty handed, a feeling she wasn't quite used to. And that did not sit well with her.

Did they really no nothing about Beast Boy, other than the fact he was incredibly hyperactive, vegetarian, and couldn't make a funny joke to save his life?

Raven knew she shouldn't be the one going around pointing fingers since she hadn't exactly been too open herself, but out of the entire team, did they all really know the least - no, nothing about Beast Boy's past?

Raven's thoughts continued to battle it out in search of an answer, before she realized that maybe she was wrong. Maybe Beast Boy had in fact shared his personal history with the team, or more specifically a special robotic best friend. Raven smirked, proud of herself for being able to solve her latest dilemma. Cybiorg would know; Cyborg had to know. He was the closest to Beast Boy after all. All she had to do, was conveniently bring up the discussion away from any eavesdropping ears or prying eyes, and finally be at peace.

Satisfied, Raven leaned back and relaxed. She inhaled deeply to calm her emotions, her nose picking up the sweet scent of her lavender and earthy candles. Their fumes merged together to form an elixir that Raven could not ignore. Underlying the two scents was also another new scent - warm, freshly cooked chicken.

Curious, Raven followed the scent with her mind, scowling when she caught trace of the sound of yelling and argument, followed by the sound of something breaking. A look of distress crossed over Raven's face.

Scowl still in place, Raven sat up, her mood now sour, and crossed her room to the door, making her way to the kitchen.

Somebody had better damn well not have touched that chicken.

* * *

><p>Cyborg had been working diligently on his car for the past hour and a half. An hour an a half too long away from his precious food. Speaking of which, just what the heck was taking Robin and Starfire so long?<p>

Tired and hungry, Cyborg finished the last few touches on his 'baby,' and proceeded to tidy up his work area. After putting away his tools, Cyborg walked back up to the main floor of the tower.

He slipped past the main doors, the aroma of freshly cooked chicken taking over his system. He inhaled, dragging in a deep breath of the heavenly scent, his mouth salivating. It was almost as if he could already taste it.

Cyborg didn't understand how Beast Boy could ignore the delicious thing that was meat. It was impossible. Meat was too precious to give up.

He followed the scent to the kitchen, voicing his satisfaction as he went. "Mmm-mmm-mmmm!" He said, rounding the corner to the kitchen.

Cyborg opened his mouth to compliment the cooking duo on their amazing meal efforts, but his jaw dropped open at the unimaginable sight before him.

There stood Robin and, hovering over a pan of browned chicken, covered in dustings of flour, sandwich condiments, syrups, and…were those potato peels? But that wasn't quite what had grabbed Cyborg's attention, but rather the Tamaran's slim finger, wedged in Robin's mouth, and Robin's hand, wrapped tightly around the wrist leading up to Starfire's occupied finger.

Cyborg stared at the two speechlessly, his mouth slowly turning up into a smirk.

Somebody looked like they were getting some lovin.'

"Oh yeah! I see how it is." Cyborg crowed, glancing between the pair knowingly.

The two of them blushed, pulling away, and making themselves as presentable as possible under the circumstances.

"How is what, friend Cyborg?" Starfire asked confused. She was smoothing down her frizzy, chocolate 'syrupped' hair with a white 'floured' hand.

"Oh nothing, nothing…just that…well it _was _awfully weird that you and Wonder Boy here would be sneaking off into the kitchen together to cook, but everything makes sense now." Cyborg waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"What makes sense?" Robin asked utterly lost.

Cyborg's smirk grew wider, giving Robin a wink. "You just wanted some precious time with your _girlfriend_."

Starfire's cheeks became red at Cyborg's declaration. She opened her mouth to protest, but was beaten to the punch by Robin.

"Starfire is NOT my girlfriend!" Robin yelled. He glared at Cyborg hard, steam coming out of his ears in rage.

"She'll never be my girlfriend!" Robin continued to scream. "She doesn't deserve to be with me!"

Robin had never been quite that angry in his entire life, mainly because he had never allowed his teammates' teasing to have come this far. Plus the fact that his mini lunch/cooking/food fight date with Starfire had been rudely interrupted - and just when it was getting to the good part - only added to his anger.

Cyborg's mouth dropped open. "What-" He started, but was cut off by the wavering voice of the girl in question.

"Why?" Starfire asked quietly. "Why am I not acceptable to be Robin's girlfriend?" Starfire asked, her voice growing harder with every word.

Robin turned to address her, and blushed at Starfire's implication. "Look Star-"

"No, you do the looking Robin! Why am I not deserving of being in the position of Robin's girlfriend? I am both a girl and a friend, and I am having the feelings for you!" Stafire yelled.

If Cyborg's mouth could have dropped open any further, it would be scrapping the floor.

Did…did Starfire just…_confess_?

'_She doesn't mean that, Robin. She doesn't _really_ have feelings for you._' A quiet voice whispered in his head.

Robin blinked, trying to will the voice away, and concerned himself with Starfire's latest retort. His cheeks heated up even more.

"Starfire," Robin started. "You don't _really_ have feelings for me." He explained carefully. "You just think you have feelings for me, because I was the first person you met here on Earth - the first person to treat you kindly. I was nice to you. I think you're confusing our friendship with-"

It burned. It burned so badly, hearing the boy that held her affections, saying such painful words to her. The words of rejection rolled off his tongue mercilessly, every syllable another stab at her heart.

"No!" Starfire suddenly yelled, tears pooling in her eyes. "No, you are wrong, Robin! I do have feelings for you! I have always-"

'_She's lying again, Robin. _Lies_!_'

"Starfire!" Robin cut her off. The pain in his head continued to intensify, slipping into his voice. "You don't like me - you only _think_ you like me!"

And the dam broke - the tears fell. And with the, shattered her heart.

"Do not tell me, what to feel!" Starfire screeched, anger growing. Her eyes became a vibrant green, and green sparks flew from her hands.

"Now, now you two, play nicely…" Cyborg said hesitantly. The smirk was no longer on his face, and he was desperately trying to control the argument from being blown out of proportion.

"I will do the playing nice, if Robin does the playing nice, and-"

"Me, not playing nice? You're the one trying to fool me into thinking you actually like me, and-"

That was the last straw.

Starfire's green energy beam skimmed past Robin and Cyborg, who ducked just in time, and destroyed the potted plant situated on top of the dinner table.

"You Robin, are no longer my friend!" She screamed, turning on her heel and walking away.

Starfire stomped out of the room, furiously wiping her falling tears along the way.

As she walked the path to her bedroom, Starfire came across a very tired, and now startled, Raven.

"Starfire, what happ-"

"I do not wish to discuss the events that have just occurred friend, Raven. Please do allow me to be excused." Starfire said, quietly. Her head was bowed, and there were still tears falling down her round cheeks.

Raven hesitated, but gave Starfire passage to her room.

Starfire gave Raven a tiny thank you, and mutely punched in the number code to her bedroom. She disappeared into the warm embrace of her room, and the moment the door was shut, her sobs echoed loudly against the bedroom walls.

Raven's eyes narrowed, Starfire's emotional pain tearing down the fragile walls of her heart.

Phasing through the floor, Raven back through, into the kitchen.

There stood Cyborg, shaking Robin by the collar of his uniform, and giving him the scolding of his life. As for Robin, Robin was doing everything within his power to ignore said person.

Ah, so the 'Boy Blunder' had made yet another mistake?

Raven cleared her throat, catching the attention of both boys, Robin and Cyborg, and fixed them with a dark glare.

"So, which one of you boys have a death wish?"

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks to everyone who is following this story! Updates will most likely be made on Fridays and the weekends, with the exception of this one :p Please don't forget to review, and let me know what you think ;) Oh and also, I decided to host a little competition for those of you interested in my writing skills. Whoever can guess the origin of the chapter title's name (not where it came from, but who it came from ;) hint hint it's a singer!) will get a oneshot of their choice, on any pairing or fandom as well as any rating, written by me. It will be totally based on the winner's desires. I hope everyone participates! :D <strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Tamaerian Dictionary:<strong>

**_gnarbog_ (n) - a very yummy meal consisting of the meat of a very commonly hunted Tamaranian creature.**


	3. Chapter 3: She Will Be Loved

The Sparrow Calls

Chapter 3: _She Will Be Loved_

* * *

><p>"Hey there, Raven. It's me, Beast Boy."<p>

A pause.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry about…well you know….before. Um…I know I can be a real idiot sometimes, but…it's just that…I really…ugh! I give up!" Beast Boy exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air, and glaring pitifully at his mirror self.

No matter how many times he rehearsed his apology, it just didn't seem…right. It didn't seem like the type of apology that could sway Raven into forgiving him.

Beast Boy sighed, collapsing on his bed in exhaustion. He rubbed his forehead tiredly, mulling over the day's events.

He hadn't meant for it to happen. He hadn't meant to hurt Raven. Beast Boy just didn't want to see her hurt herself. He only wanted to bring her out from the inner refuge of her closed mind, closer to the rest of the team. Because he wanted to help her. He cared for her. He wanted her to run to him if she was hurt or upset. Heck, it didn't even have to be him. As long as it was someone. Everyone had a weakness; everyone hurt. He knew. But did Raven? Did Raven know?

Beast Boy clenched his fist. He hadn't wanted for this to happen. He didn't want to push her away. Not when she was at the breadth of his reach.

He needed to apologize.

He needed help.

Pushing himself off his bed, Beast Boy walked over to his night stand, detaching his green cellphone from its charger. The Titan symbol lightly etched in its side glimmer under his bedroom lights.

The phone had been a gift from Robin, one for each Titan member and honorary Titan. It was to serve as an alternate form of communication for the entire Titan Network in case their communications network was ever again hacked.

After the whole Brain fiasco, the Titans were all on their toes when it came to their communication devices, hence Robin had grabbed a couple of boxes of the latest high tech cellphones from one company or another, and hooked them up to a private Titan satellite that had also been made for the same purpose.

Personally Beast Boy preferred the comfortable nature of his cellphone to his

communicator since the communication lines of the yellow device could easily be pulled up on the main frame computer, and the entire conversation could be replayed word for word, for anyone to hear. And this was the type of conversation Beast Boy would prefer to keep under wraps.

Beast Boy unlocked his phone and pulled up a number from his contacts. He hit the call button, waiting with anticipation as he sank back down onto his bed.

The phone was picked up on the third ring.

"Aqualad's phone. Are you calling for business or for pleasure?" A sultry voice asked.

Beast Boy blinked at his phone's speaker in shock. Had he heard that correctly?

"Speedy!" Came the muffled voice of Aqualad. There was a short scuffle, and Beast Boy was quite sure the phone had been dropped several times, indicated by the crackling sounds coming from the other side.

"Beast Boy?" Aqualad panted out, having finally won the phone from Speedy's gloved hands.

"Sorry about that dude. I didn't know you and Speedy were in the middle of something." Beast Boy said innocently.

"Just because we are on the same side, doesn't mean I can't hunt you down and hurt you." Aqualad threatened. Echoing in the background Beast Boy's sensitive ears picked up the sound of another yelp.

Beast Boy laughed, running his hand absentmindedly through his dark green hair. "What was Speedy doing with your phone anyway?" Beast Boy asked,

"He was looking through my contacts to find another poor innocent girl to victimize." He explained, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

A low, "Hey!" of protest could be heard in the background, probably by Speedy himself.

"How he does it I'll never know. He's gone through four women this week alone."

There was another yelp on the other line, and once again there was another scuffle.

Beast Boy grinned, laughing as he listened to the telltale signs of the fight.

"What are you guys doing?" Beast Boy asked curiously.

"Currently? I'm sitting on him."

Beast Boy's laugh grew louder. "And it's working?"

"I have a ball of water hovering over his hair that can be dropped at any moment."

"Ah, right." Beast Boy said knowingly, grin spanning from one side of his face to the other.

It was incredibly refreshing, talking to Aqualad like this again. Despite what others thought, Aqualad and Beast Boy were very alike, and even though they hadn't started off on the right foot, they were incredibly close at the time.

So close in fact, that if anyone ever asked Beast Boy who his best guy friend would be, Beast Boy wouldn't be able to answer, because he didn't have just one. Beast Boy had two - Cyborg and Aqualad.

Most people would have only said Cyborg, which was true, Cyborg was a great friend, but there were gaps even he couldn't fill. There were several bridges in their friendship. They weren't odd or uncommon-they were just there. They were gaps. Gaps that Aqualad filled in quite nicely.

"So, how did try outs go?" Beast Boy asked.

After Brain's attack, numerous villains had arisen in several cities across the world. In Jump alone there were nearly triple the amount there were before, including gangsters, bikers, and common thieves.

The aftermath of Brain's defeat caused Robin to start expanding individual Titan teams. This meant that Titans West and Titans East would team up to form one uniform team to watch over Jump City.

Which also meant, that in the place of Titans East, a new team was being formed to watch over Steel City.

Most of the members of Titans East who had already been confirmed, were honorary Titans who had either decided to join the cause as beacons of justice or simply had no better place to go or nothing better to do.

Unfortunately, they were still short a couple of extra hands, hence the idea of try outs. It would be the perfect opportunity for undiscovered talent to become discovered, and give others a chance in helping out the community or perfecting their powers, to come out and unleash their truest potentials.

"Out of a total of fifty-eight people, twelve of them nearly managed to drag Speedy out of the Tower, another five tried to sexual harass him, and the others decided to jump me."

"Wow," Beast Boy said in awe. "I didn't know there were that many female heroes in Steel City…"

"There aren't." Aqualad said stiffly.

Beast Boy gulped, eyes widening in surprise. "Well, Speedy did always say you weren't exactly a ladies man…" He said jokingly.

"I will hunt you down." Aqualad said, voice laced with venom, punctuating each word meaningfully.

"Kidding." Beast Boy said with a nervous laugh. "I guess this means auditions were a flop, huh?"

"Not exactly. Bee, really liked a couple of them."

"Potential?"

"That's pretty much it. One of them calls herself Muse, and the other is The Lyre."

"Powers?"

"Only Muse. She can make mirror images of herself using any reflective surface. Down side is, the images can only participate in a fight if they're in direct contact with the enemy. It's quite unusual."

"Dude, that's awesome!" Beast Boy said impressed.

"Yeah, it is. I'm not sure how much it'll be able to help us out in a fight, but she has decent martial arts skills to back her up. She should be fine."

"The Lyre is actually human. He makes emotional sounds and music using his lyre. It has something to do with the science behind sound and frequency and its effect on the brain, or so he told us, which he applied to altering a traditional lyre. It's really interesting. The negative side however, is he must be within a significant range of his opponent, and he's still not very skilled with playing the instrument. He's still very much a rookie." Aqualad explained.

"You guys sure did find the wallflowers of the bunch." Beast Boy commented amused.

"None of the others had much to give for us to chose from." Aqualad said honestly.

"Makes sense. Good thing is that you guys do have a couple of experienced individuals on board. The old HIVE 5 members are pretty good."

"Their training is incredible, but there's still a couple of things we have to cover with them and we have introduce them to the mayor before we can leave. That and we have to train the latest additions to the team. Bee doesn't want them out fighting until they can hold their own."

"Guess I won't be seeing you around here much for a while then?"

Aqualad laughed. "I'll be all yours in a couple more months BB."

Beast Boy sighed. Those months couldn't go by any slower.

"So," Aqualad started conversationally, "What did you do this time?"

"What makes you think something I did something?" Beast Boy spluttered.

"I didn't." Aqualad said, laughing.

Beast Boy frowned.

"So?" Aqualad asked patiently when Beast Boy didn't respond.

Beast Boy sighed, running a hand through his hair again.

"I messed up, Garth." Beast Boy mumbled, Aqualad's real name slipping past his lips.

This was serious.

"I figured that much." Aqualad said, but his tone was much softer. "Hold on." He added.

On the other side of the phone Beast Boy heard the sound of ruffled clothing, a short scuffle, as well as a very stern reprimanding on Aqualad's side - probably directed at Speedy - and at last, the sound of a pair of sliding doors sliding closed.

"Alright, go ahead. It's just me and you, Garfield." Aqualad said good naturedly.

"I hurt Raven-real bad."

"What happened?" Aqualad asked concerned.

Beast Boy retold Aqualad the story.

"The thing is, even though I understand some of what I said was probably…jerkish and inconsiderate, I don't understand why she was so upset. It doesn't seem like the type of thing that would bother her." Beast Boy trailed off.

'_But she's changed! She's trying to change!'_ His mind mumbled.

He was met with a lengthy silence. "Well?" Beast Boy prodded.

"Sorry," Aqualad apologized. "Just thinking over what you said. Anyways, do you remember Kid Flash's and Jinx's first fight as a couple?" He asked.

"How could I forget?" Beast Boy asked incredulously. Titans East had, had to undergo nearly two months of repairs as a result of said fight.

"Kid Flash said something along the same lines as you to Jinx-that's how the fight started. And seeing as how I got to play couple's therapist with Raven, I can understand where Raven's coming from. Her reaction sounds a lot like Jinx's believe it or not."

"It's not just that though." Beast Boy protested. "I understand what I said to Raven was terrible, but I don't understand why she was so hurt." He elaborated. "It's not like what I said was a big deal or I crossed any boundaries."

"You did touch her." Aqualad reminded. "And have you considered the fact that maybe Raven was hurt because she is trying?"

Beast Boy froze, the meaning of Aqualad's words sinking in.

"W-w-what?" Beast Boy stuttered.

"Raven's an empath right?"

"Right…" Beast Boy said.

"Which means that she can't exactly express herself as freely as everyone else. Which is probably why she was so upset. Maybe, she's tired of playing the bad guy?" Aqualad elaborated.

Beast Boy's mind was running a mile a minute as he realized that Aqualad was in fact right.

Raven was trying-still was. He was just too blind to see it.

"Ugh!" Beast Boy groaned, face planting into his pillow. "My life sucks!"

Aqualad chuckled. "Yeah, well tell it to someone who has to witness the contamination process of the living room couch during Kid Flash's and Jinx's make up period, and still has to play couple's therapist. Alone! Without Raven!"

Beast Boy snickered. "Any juicy details Dr. Garth?"

"Don't push it." Aqualad said between gritted teeth. "I've learned more about those two than I know about myself!"

Beast Boy laughed again.

"Ok, Ok! So I understand what I did wrong-I have seen the wrongs of my ways," Beast Boy said conspiratorially. "Now how do I fix it?"

"For starters, apologize. A simple apology can go a long way."

"Somehow I doubt that'll work on Raven."

Aqualad hesitated. "We'll take baby steps."

He hesitated again. "Did you restock your first aid kit?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You're going to need it." Aqualad said wisely.

Beast Boy groaned and decided to go back to suffocating himself with his pillow.

He would much rather prefer listening in on Kid Flash's and Jinx's relationship problems, heck even watching them doing the dirty sounded acceptable.

Saying sorry to Raven, was a battle within itself.

* * *

><p>After finishing up his phone call with Aqualad, Beast Boy made his way down the hall to the main room. His stomach had been rumbling for quite some time, and he couldn't postpone lunch any longer. Otherwise his stomach just might decide to eat him. Beast Boy winced at the thought.<p>

Beast Boy walked through the hydraulic doors of the main floor, past the living room, and rounded the corner to the kitchen.

His mouth dropped open in shock.

Every inch of the kitchen was generously covered with syrup, sugar, potato peels, sauces, and various other kitchen ingredients.

Wait…was this _their_ food? _All _of their food?

Panicking Beast Boy flung open the fridge door, gawking at the sight of the empty shelves. "NO!" Beast Boy exclaimed, diving into the small fridge space, and inspecting each and every nook and cranny for his special carton of tofu.

He pulled out of the fridge a moment later, tears of anguish forming in his eyes. His tofu was missing. Someone had attacked the Titan Tower, and now their food was gone; his precious tofu, was gone.

"CYBORG!" Beast Boy cried out dramatically. He ran out of the kitchen, down the hall containing their bedrooms to Cyborg's room, and halted when he saw the crowd standing by Starfire's bedroom door.

He blinked.

"Uh, guys?" He asked confused.

Raven and Cyborg whirled around with cold expressions on their faces, softening when they landed on the innocent Beast Boy.

"What's-"

But then he heard it. It was unmistakable. No one in the tower could cry nor weep like that.

No one could cry like Starfire.

Her sobs were always weak, painful, and more than anything else, heartbreaking. Beast Boy's eyes hardened when the sobs grew more pained.

"Robin?" Beaast Boy assumed. Robin was the only one who could make Starfire cr. Not even her sister, Blackfire had been able to get much of a rise out of her.

"Who else?" Raven spat. Her eyes flamed up with anger, their violet pupils turning a scary red.

Cyborg put a calming and gentle hand on her shoulder. "Breathe." He ordered, trying to get her to control her anger. That was the one emotion, they all had to help Raven keep in check.

Her anger was like a flame. It enjoyed licking up everything in its path, even the smallest of things, and adding fuel to the fire. It was unstoppable-uncontrollable if not properly dealt with.

Raven reluctantly took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She opened them a minute later, significantly calmer, and the violet hue of her eyes had returned.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Robin happened, that's what!" Raven yelled.

"I know that." Beast Boy said, rolling his eyes indignantly. "I meant what did he do?"

"She confessed." Cyborg explained.

"And he said no?"

"More or less." Raven grumbled darkly.

"Where is he?" Beast Boy asked seriously. Judging by Raven's expression Robin had messed up bad.

"Who cares?" Cyborg demanded. "He's just going to waltz back in here, and walk all over her heart again!" He exploded.

Beast Boy smirked. "I just thought a little fixing up was in order." He explained, pounding his fist against his palm in a meaningful expression. "Mind lending a hand?"

"Gladly." Cyborg said, an identical smirk on his own face.

"You in?" Beast Boy asked, turning to Raven.

"When I'm done with him, he'll wish Azarath had the honor of punishing him." She said darkly, drawing up the hood of her cowl.

They all nodded to one another, ready to give Robin a dose of his own medicine.

However, before they could take off and seek out the masked hero, the door to Starfire's bedroom slid open.

"Please," Came Starfire's timid voice. "Do not do the 'pounding' of Robin. I would not like for him to be hurt." She said quietly, stepping out of the confines of her room.

"Starfire!" Cyborg said in surprise.

Her red hair was tangled, and fresh tear tracks were visible on her cheeks. Her purple uniform was wrinkled, and what astonished them the most, was Starfire's feet were firmly planted on the ground. She wasn't even floating.

"Are you ok?" Beast Boy asked. It was a stupid question if anything, judging by the murderous looks Cyborg and Raven sent his way, but it was within its own way a source of comfort for Starfire. The knowledge that she was being watched over and people were concerned for her health.

"I am not well." Starfire admitted. "But please, join me?"

She gave them all a sad smile, her eyes silently begging for them to join her.

And join they did.

* * *

><p>Once everyone was comfortably settled in Starfire's room, Cyborg sitting on her vanity stool, Raven at the foot of her bed, and Beast Boy as a tiny green kitten resting in her lap, the princess began to talk.<p>

"I do not understand, Robin." She said, a troubled look on her face. Beast Boy meowed cutely from her lap, his own form of mild comfort.

Starfire ran a hand over the kitten's head, petting it gently as she did.

"What happened?" Raven asked, having not seen the events that had taken place. She only had a very rough summary courtesy of Cyborg, who had been too busy yelling at Robin to say much otherwise.

"I….confessed to having the feelings to Robin, but…perhaps it was not best for me to have done so." Starfire said, eyes downcast. She stared mindlessly at one spot on her purple bed sheets.

"No, you were perfectly within you limits, girl." Cyborg assured Starfire. He turned to Raven. "Starfire confessed to Robin, and he shot her down, talking about some bull about her lying to him about her feelings." He explained, the malice in his voice dripping with each and every word.

A jar on Starfire's vanity exploded, encased in black energy. "Sorry." Raven said through gritted teeth as she tried to control her anger.

Starfire didn't even seem to have noticed, eyes never moving from their spot on the sheets.

"I…I always thought, that Robin may have the same feelings for me, as I do for him, but it does not appear so." Starfire whispered. Her eyes were vacant, still boring a hole into that one particular spot of her bed sheets, wetness gathering at the corners.

"That's not true, Star." Raven consoled her, moving closer to the distraught alien. She took a corner of her cowl, dabbing it over Starfire's wet cheeks.

"But why would Robin believe I am doing the lying to him about my feelings?" Starfire asked, borderline hysterical. They all flinched at the change in tone of their friend's voice.

Her voice was raw and hoarse, a polar opposite to her usual friendly and amicable attitude. She was hurting so much.

Beast Boy whimpered from her lap, rubbing his head over her exposed leg in a soothing manner. Cyborg crossed the room, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, tucking her head underneath his chin.

Feeling Cyborg's arm around her, pulled Starfire out of her reverie, bringing her back to the present time. His touch brought her out of her stage denial, and that was when she realized, everything that everything she had worked so hard for, was falling apart. Her relationship with Robin, was nonexistent.

She had spent hours on top of hours, years upon years, conveying the same message again and again. She liked him. She loved him, Robin. And not once had she, or so she thought, failed her duty.

Until this day.

The dam broke, the tears no longer restrained as they began to fall.

"I have spent countless hours of my time, devoting every moment to show Robin that I am having the feelings for him." Starfire said between her sobs, leaning into Cyborg's and Raven's comforting touches. "And yet, how could he accuse me of not loving him?" She bawled. Beast Boy pressed his face to her stomach, purring against her orange skin.

"Because he's an idiot. He's a coward and a bastard for not being able to face his own feelings, and instead of admitting he feels the same way, he chooses to stomp all over the heart of an innocent girl. He's an asshole." Cyborg said primly, unleashing a series of curse words all in some way criticizing Robin's cruel personality.

Starfire sniffled as she tried to hold back more tears, and the fog blurring her mind began to fade.

No, this wasn't Robin's fault. It was no one's fault but her own.

"No, I was in the wrong, Cybrog." Starfire interrupted him. "I should not have pressed my feelings on Robin. I am as he said, undeserving to be his girlfriend."

The sound of breaking glass filled the room, as Raven's black magic tightened around the different jars and vases adorning Starfire's room, and one by one each exploded into an array of shards.

"He said you were undeserving of being his girlfriend?" Raven asked, placing emphasize on every word. Her voice had a very eerie dark edge. Beast Boy whimpered again from his spot.

"Yes." Starfire whispered.

The drawers in Starfire's dresser came alive, shuffling in and out of their wooden pockets, clothes flinging out from within. The same fate befell the purple armoire containing Starfire's wardrobe.

"Where. Is. HE?" Raven exploded, standing from the bed. Anger had returned, and judging by the pure red color of her eyes, it was here to play.

Loose papers began to fly through the room, cutting through the still air nosily. The lights flickered on and off, and the chandelier in the center began to sway.

Sensing her level of distraught, Beast Boy crawled out of Starfire's lap, redeemed his original form, and placed his hands firmly on each of Raven's shoulders. He steadied her, lightly pushing her back onto Starfire's mattress, and looked her in the eyes.

"Calm down, Rae. You're better than this. Control - _Azarath Mentrion Zinthos._" He chanted seriously. Raven joined him in the chant midway, closing her eyes. The room was filled with silence except for their joined voices, as Raven tried to regain control of her powers.

"Sorry." She said at last, lights turned back on, chandelier no longer swaying, and papers falling noiselessly to the ground. She opened her eyes, showing them a purple set of pupils.

Cyborg and Beast Boy nodded in understanding, waving it off, whereas Starfire eyed Raven with confusion.

"Please Raven, why is it that you are so angry?"

"I'm angry," Raven said, clasping Starfire's hand in her own. "Because it's not you who's undeserving of Robin, Star. It's Robin who doesn't deserve _you_. And despite all of what has been said and done, everything Cyborg said is true. Robin does care for you-"

"How?" Starfire asked, her voice suddenly hard, and eyes taking on the appearance of green steel. "How do you know?"

"Empath remember?" Beast Boy explained, taking Raven's previous seat by the foot of the bed.

"Oh, yes." Starfire said, her voice softening. "Then…then why did Robin say such hurtful words? Why did he call my words lies?" She asked them desperately, searching for some truth and guidance.

"Because he's too scared to face the music." Cyborg said firmly. "He's hiding behind them-his words I mean."

Starfire frowned, the pain in her eyes growing more intense and in general, lost.

"He's trying to avoid the subject entirely. He's holding himself back from having any feelings for you." Raven elaborated.

Starfire's eyes became misty once again, tears building up in her emerald. Her hands trembled, and her lower lip quivered.

"Is this true?" She asked, craving to hear everyone's confirmation on the subject.

She first locked eyes with Beast Boy, who bit his bottom lip and looked away. He was unable to answer in fear of being responsible for more tears on her part, and then she shared gazes with Raven, who nodded her head slowly.

"Yeah, he is," Cyborg said, when Starfire's eyes landed on him, his voice soft and gentle. He hesitated at the crestfallen look on the girl's face.

He sighed.

"But we're not going to let him."

They all stared at him in shock, particularly Raven and Beast Boy. They weren't?

Raven and Beast Boy shared a look. "Cyborg," Beast Boy started.

"You love him, right?" Cyborg interrupted Beast Boy. His voice was full of understanding as he stared deeply into the green abyss that were Starfire's eyes. Starfire had the modesty to blush, nodding her head yes.

"Then that's all that matters. All bird boy needs is a push in the right direction. And we're going to make him regret ever saying no to your pretty face."

Beast Boy smirked when he caught onto Cyborg's plan. "Sweet, revenge plans are totally my thing."

Raven narrowed her eyes at the two boys, opening her mouth to reprimand them. Were they seriously going to let her walk back into the hands of the boy who had just tried to break her?

"Really?" Starfire asked excitedly, eyes lighting up and tears long forgotten.

'_Too late.' _Raven thought.

Cyborg and Best Boy both grinned, smiles stretching across their faces at Starfire's happiness. "Really." They both said in unison.

"Really, really?" Starfire demanded, directing her question at Raven.

The empath glanced nervously at Starfire's eager face, noticing the way her orange hands fisted her dark purple bed sheets in apprehension. She then chanced a glance at Cyborg and Beast Boy. They both gave her a look that screamed, _'Don't you dare disappoint.' _

She sighed deeply. "No burning down the Tower or causing any bodily harm. My books, not to be touched; my room, off limits; and under no circumstances am I to hear any more requests from any of you for the next two months. _Two_! Understood?" Raven said sharply, laying down the law as sternly as possible. They all nodded their heads yes. "Good, any breaching of these rules will result in immediate cancellation of all plans. Questions?"

It was the closest to a yes they were ever going to get.

And she dearly hoped she didn't regret it.

They all cheered in delight, Starfire going as far as to glomp Raven, pulling her into a tight hug. Raven jumped lightly, startled by the girl's exuberance, as well as the soft breeze tickling the underside of her thighs.

Raven looked down at Starfire's bed, rolling her eyes when she noticed the two girls were no longer situated on it. Rather they were floating several feet above the oval shaped piece of furniture.

Well, at least her flight had returned.

"So, where is it we should start, friends?" Starfire asked, lowering herself and Raven back onto her bed at Raven's insistence.

Raven groaned when she saw the matching maniacal gleams in Cyborg's and Beast Boy's eyes.

She was definitely beginning to regret ever saying yes.


End file.
